The Twelve Labors of Hercules · chapter 8 of 8
The Dog of the Dead
三头狗
For the last labor Hercules goes down to the land of the dead to ask its king for a three-headed dog. One rule: no weapons.
Read what you hear
- Iolaus 大力士，这个山洞就是去地下世界的路，里面吹出来的风好冷。
Dàlìshì, zhège shāndòng jiùshì qù dìxià shìjiè de lù, lǐmiàn chuīchūlái de fēnghǎo lěng.
Big man, this cave is the road to the world below, and the wind coming out of it is so cold.
- Hercules 我知道，里面很黑，可是我不怕。
Wǒ zhīdào, lǐmiàn hěn hēi, kěshì wǒ búpà.
I know. It's very dark inside, but I'm not afraid.
- Iolaus 我怕，我在外面等你，好吗？
Wǒpà, wǒ zài wàimiàn děng nǐ, hǎo ma?
I'm afraid. I'll wait for you outside, all right?
Chapter 8 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Twelve Labors of Hercules is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Hercules 好，你拿着火把，它会让我知道，外面还有人在等我。
Hǎo, nǐ ná zhe huǒbǎ, tāhuì ràng wǒ zhīdào, wàimiàn háiyǒu rén zài děng wǒ.
Good. You keep the torch. It will tell me there is someone waiting outside for me.
- Iolaus 我每天晚上都会把它点着，你一定要回来，还要带一个好玩的东西给我。
Wǒ měitiānwǎnshang dōu huì bǎ tā diǎnzháo, nǐ yídìng yào huílái, háiyào dài yígè hǎowán de dōngxi gěi wǒ.
I'll light it every night, so you must come back, and bring me something fun from down there.
- Hercules 一只三个头的大狗，够不够好玩，我最好的朋友？
Yìzhī sāngè tóu de dàgǒu, gòubúgòu hǎowán, wǒ zuìhǎo de péngyou?
A big dog with three heads. Is that fun enough, my best friend?
- Iolaus 够了够了，快去吧，我不要再想了！
Gòu le gòu le, kuài qù ba, wǒ búyào zài xiǎng le!
Enough, enough! Go on, I don't want to think about it any more!
- Hades 谁来了？活人不能进我的国家。
Shuí lái le? Huórén bùnéng jìn wǒ de guójiā.
Who has come? The living may not enter my kingdom.
- Hercules 哈迪斯国王，我是赫拉克勒斯，我来借您的狗。
Hādísī guówáng, wǒ shì Hèlākèlèsī, wǒlái jiè nín de gǒu.
King Hades, I am Hercules. I have come to borrow your dog.
- Hades 借我的狗？没有人这样问过我。
Jiè wǒ de gǒu? Méiyǒu rén zhèyàng wènguò wǒ.
Borrow my dog? No one has ever asked me that.
- Hercules 国王要我把它带上去，我会还给您，一根毛也不会少。
Guówáng yào wǒ bǎ tā dàishàngqù, wǒhuì huángěi nín, yìgēn máo yě búhuì shǎo.
The king wants me to bring it up. I will return it to you, and not one hair will be missing.
- Hades 好，我可以借给你。它很久没有人陪，所以你不能用木棒，也不能用刀。
Hǎo, wǒ kěyǐ jiègěi nǐ. Tā hěnjiǔméi yǒurén péi, suǒyǐ nǐ bùnéng yòng mùbàng, yě bùnéng yòngdāo.
Good, I can lend him to you. Nobody has kept him company for a long time, so you may not use a club or a knife.
- Hercules 我只用我的手，我会很小心的。
Wǒ zhǐyòng wǒ de shǒu, wǒhuì hěn xiǎoxīn de.
I'll use only my hands, and I'll be very careful.
- Hades 我的狗很聪明，它只是很久没有人对它好了。
Wǒ de gǒu hěn cōngming, tā zhǐshì hěnjiǔméi yǒurén duì tā hǎo le.
My dog is very clever. It's just been a long time since anyone was kind to it.
- Cerberus 你是谁？我一个头饿了，一个头想睡觉，还有一个头在想，你的手是不是要打我。
Nǐ shì shuí? Wǒ yígètóu è le, yígètóu xiǎng shuìjiào, háiyǒu yígètóu zài xiǎng, nǐ de shǒu shìbúshì yào dǎ wǒ.
Who are you? One of my heads is hungry, one wants to sleep, and one is wondering whether your hands are going to hit me.
- Hercules 不打，你看，我的手是空的，你可以让我摸一摸。
Bù dǎ, nǐ kàn, wǒ de shǒu shì kōng de, nǐ kěyǐ ràng wǒ mō yìmō.
No hitting. See, my hands are empty. You can let me pet you.
- Cerberus 好舒服……我三个头，都想让你摸。
Hǎo shūfú…… Wǒ sāngè tóu, dōu xiǎng ràng nǐ mō.
That feels so good... all three of my heads want you to pet them.
- Hercules 那我就一个一个摸，你想不想去外面看一看？
Nà wǒ jiù yígè yígè mō, nǐ xiǎng bùxiǎng qù wàimiàn kànyíkàn?
Then I'll pet you one at a time. Would you like to go and see the outside?
- Cerberus 外面？有太阳吗？我从来没有见过太阳。
Wàimiàn? Yǒu tàiyáng ma? Wǒ cónglái méiyǒu jiànguò tàiyáng.
Outside? Is there a sun? I have never seen the sun.
- Hades 带他去吧，可是三天以后，你一定要还给我。
Dài tā qù ba, kěshì sāntiān yǐhòu, nǐ yídìng yào huángěi wǒ.
Take him, then. But three days from now, you must return him to me.
- King Eurystheus 那是什么？那是……刻耳柏洛斯！
Nà shì shénme? Nà shì…… Kè'ěrbǎiluòsī!
What is that? That is... Cerberus!
- Cerberus 你好，小罐子，里面好像有人。
Nǐhǎo, xiǎo guànzi, lǐmiàn hǎoxiàng yǒurén.
Hello, little jar. It sounds like someone is inside.
- King Eurystheus 啊，它会说话！
A, tāhuì shuōhuà!
Ah, it can talk!
- Hercules 国王，你别怕，你看，它的三个头都在笑。
Guówáng, nǐ biépà, nǐ kàn, tā de sāngè tóu dōu zài xiào.
Don't be afraid, Your Majesty. Look, all three of its heads are smiling.
- Cerberus 我们三个都在笑，小罐子，你怕什么呢？
Wǒmen sāngè dōu zài xiào, xiǎo guànzi, nǐ pà shénme ne?
All three of us are smiling. What are you afraid of, little jar?
- Hercules 国王，它很乖，它只是想看看太阳。
Guówáng, tā hěn guāi, tā zhǐshì xiǎng kànkan tàiyáng.
Your Majesty, it's very good. It just wants to see the sun.
- King Eurystheus 我不要看，带它回去，我不要了！
Wǒ búyào kàn, dài tā huíqù, wǒ búyào le!
I don't want to look! Take it back, I don't want it!
- Hercules 那，十二项任务，都做完了吗？
Nà, shí'èrxiàng rènwù, dōu zuò wán le ma?
Then, are all twelve tasks finished?
- King Eurystheus 做完了，做完了，你自由了，快走！
Zuò wán le, zuò wán le, nǐ zìyóu le, kuài zǒu!
Finished, finished, you're free, go!
- Iolaus 大力士，你回来了，你自由了！
Dàlìshì, nǐ huílái le, nǐ zìyóu le!
Big man, you're back, and you're free!
- Hercules 是啊，伊俄拉俄斯，你的火把，我在下面都看见了。
Shì a, Yī'élā'ésī, nǐ de huǒbǎ, wǒ zài xiàmiàn dōu kànjiàn le.
Yes, Iolaus. I could see your torch even down below.
- Cerberus 大力士，我以后还可以来看太阳吗？
Dàlìshì, wǒ yǐhòu hái kěyǐ láikàn tàiyáng ma?
Big man, can I come see the sun again after this?
- Hercules 当然可以，我们一起来看，每天都来。
Dāngrán kěyǐ, wǒmen yìqǐ láikàn, měitiān dōu lái.
Of course. We'll come and see it together, every day.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Iolaus stay outside the cave?
“我怕，我在外面等你，好吗？”
- What does Hercules promise to do with Cerberus?
“国王要我把它带上去，我会还给您，一根毛也不会少。”
- What rule does Hades give?
“好，我可以借给你。它很久没有人陪，所以你不能用木棒，也不能用刀。”
- What has Cerberus never seen?
“外面？有太阳吗？我从来没有见过太阳。”
- What happens when the king sees Cerberus?
“做完了，做完了，你自由了，快走！”